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- Bianco, Giuseppe, et al.
(author)
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Analysis of self-overlap reveals trade-offs in plankton swimming trajectories.
- 2014
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In: Journal of the Royal Society Interface. - : The Royal Society. - 1742-5662 .- 1742-5689. ; 11:96
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Movement is a fundamental behaviour of organisms that not only brings about beneficial encounters with resources and mates, but also at the same time exposes the organism to dangerous encounters with predators. The movement patterns adopted by organisms should reflect a balance between these contrasting processes. This trade-off can be hypothesized as being evident in the behaviour of plankton, which inhabit a dilute three-dimensional environment with few refuges or orienting landmarks. We present an analysis of the swimming path geometries based on a volumetric Monte Carlo sampling approach, which is particularly adept at revealing such trade-offs by measuring the self-overlap of the trajectories. Application of this method to experimentally measured trajectories reveals that swimming patterns in copepods are shaped to efficiently explore volumes at small scales, while achieving a large overlap at larger scales. Regularities in the observed trajectories make the transition between these two regimes always sharper than in randomized trajectories or as predicted by random walk theory. Thus, real trajectories present a stronger separation between exploration for food and exposure to predators. The specific scale and features of this transition depend on species, gender and local environmental conditions, pointing at adaptation to state and stage-dependent evolutionary trade-offs.
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| 2. |
- Heuschele, Jan, et al.
(author)
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On the missing link in ecology : Improving communication between modellers and experimentalists
- 2017
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In: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 0030-1299. ; 126:8, s. 1071-1077
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Collaboration between modellers and experimentalists is essential in ecological research, however, different obstacles linking both camps often hinder scientific progress. In this commentary, we discuss several issues of the current state of affairs in this research loop. Backed by an online survey amongst fellow ecologists, modellers and experimentalists alike, we identify two major areas that need to be mended. Firstly, differences in language and jargon lead to a lack of exchange of ideas and to unrealistic mutual expectations. And secondly, constraint data sharing, accessibility and quality limit the usage of empirical data and thereby the impact of ecological studies. We discuss ways to advance collaboration; how to improve communication and the design of experiments; and the sharing of data. We hope to start a much-needed conversation between modellers and experimentalists, to further future research collaboration and to increase the impact of single ecological studies alike.
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